Why protest Chipotle? We often get this question. On the face, Chipotle seems like a “good corporation.” They’re at least starting a conversation about animal welfare, right? And heck, they’re offering us a vegan burrito! But there are seven deadly sins, behind the glitzy marketing, that make Chipotle perhaps the most important target in the animal rights movement.

1. It’s one of the largest and fastest-growing animal killers in the world. It’s a $16 billion company -- the third largest restaurant company in the world -- and has grown by 1000% (yes, one thousand percent) in the past five years. If you’re concerned about animals being killed for food, this is where all the action is. Even just slowing Chipotle's growth by a few percentage points would imply tens of millions fewer animals slaughtered in its engine of violence.

2. It’s lying to the public. Its corporate motto is “Food with Integrity,” and it deliberately uses terms such as “natural” and “responsibly raised” that have no regulatory significance. It shows the world happy animals in sunlit fields. Yet even cattle industry publications point out that Chipotle sources from brutal, gruesome factory farms.

3. It’s a leader in pro-meat propaganda.There was American Meat back in Feburary, which was described by the Village Voice as “exemplifying the history of meat production in the U.S., especially its innovations, by arguing that the industry is essential to the sustainability of our civilization.” There's the Cultivate festival, which is Chipotle's attempt to show the world that we can cultivate a better world by killing animals. More recently, they started putting up billboards that simply say "MEAT MEAT MEAT." (They're not afraid to lay it on hard, apparently.)

4. It tries to buy off activists… and often succeeds. Despite its massive pro-meat propaganda machine, Chipotle has somehow earned supporters within the animal rights movement. It's an invasion of movement snatchers. And we can't let them succeed. Because if they do, they will have bought out our movement's greatest strengths: our integrity and our soul.

5. It has the most progressive and animal-friendly customers… and it preys on their ethical instincts. Chipotle's Culinary Manager Nate Appleman, in a moment of accidental honesty to the New York Times: “You put tripe in a bowl and tell them it’s from a humanely raised cow, and they’re going to eat it.”

6. It makes killing animals more profitable. The average Big Mac costs $3.50 and hardly makes McDonald's a dime. Chipotle, in contrasts, charges almost $8 a burrito -- and makes a huge killing off the premium.

7. It’s framing the debate as one of "food choice." But it's not food. It's violence. And it's violence that has to stop.

I thought it was a big deal that Chipotle mentions on their web site how many GMO ingredients they use (and which ones). The latest story about them is that they are working to eliminate the last bits of GMO stuff from their menu by the end of 2014. I'm always on the lookout for restaurants that offer me a GMO free meal. The local Marie Calendars in San Jose is one. Their prime rib (offered only on Fridays after 4PM) and their turkey dinner are both oven roasted with no oil and with steamed veggies. The cornbread and pumpkin pie (sans whipped cream) are also GMO free. Flames also offers oil free broiled steak and broiled chicken with steamed veggies if you ask for them. Be sure to ask for no mushrooms on the steaks as these are likely sauteed in imitation olive oil (ie 50% GMO soy oil). I didn't ask them if the animals that supply the meat are tortured before they are murdered, sorry. I'm still addicted to my meat, including Denny's Double Cheeseburgers, which come with fries that are cooked in an oil that they refuse to disclose what kind it is and served on a bun that likely contains GMO soy products. The ice cream in the Denny's milkshake also has GMOs most likely. And any place that deep fries fish likely has a significantly radioactive fryer.

The only item that we both might agree to buy is Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream. That is still made with milk from perpetually pregnant cows, which some people say is a form of torture for the cows, but it also is supposed to be GMO free by mid 2014.

For those of you who were horrified to find out that yours truly (a San Jose Green Party activist) still eats meat, you can rest a bit easier after reading this next bit: My staple diet, eaten almost every day, is Safeway Organics Marinara Pasta Sauce with Trader Joes Organic Spaghetti. No meat involved there. I still buy from Safeway even though I know they donated to the "No on Prop 37" campaign because I consider their pasta sauce to be "the last honest pasta sauce", to mangle the jingle of a famous pizza outfit. Most organic pasta sauce on the market is much more watery than Safeway brand Organics and also often contains soy oil that makes it taste oily, yuck! My only regret is that I heard on ch 2 news a few days ago that the owners of Safeway are looking to sell the company. Maybe they will sell to a company that will donate to a yes on gmo labeling ballot initiative. Whatever they do, I hope they keep my favorite pasta sauce on the menu.